


Of Salt & Vinegar Chips and Spilled Popcorn

by lohengrinn



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Drunken Love Confessions, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, I love you more than Akaashi! - is my fav line i just, Implied Sexual Content, Kuroo is very weak for Bo, M/M, Morning After, Mutual Pining, Sleepovers, akaashi and kenma are just mentioned, also this is my first fic in 4-5 months i'm rusty, first time with this pairing + with kuroo in general, i never know how to tag, i'd tag this as underage drinking but both kuroo and bokuto are 18 in canon so, idk man i love it a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-23 01:56:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10709730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lohengrinn/pseuds/lohengrinn
Summary: Kuroo was planning to spend his Saturday night with Bokuto anyway - but he hadn’t anticipated Bokuto turning up at his doorstep drunk off his ass, missing a shoe and soaked from head to toe from walking in the rain. Things soon turn out rather different, and Kuroo can't decide if it's because Bokuto is drunk and not thinking straight (literally.) or if the alcohol is giving him an extra boost of confidence and bravery.ORKonoha's party starts a chain of events that leads to a missing shoe, rain-soaked hair, kisses tasting like salt & vinegar chips, and early-morning pancakes.





	Of Salt & Vinegar Chips and Spilled Popcorn

Kuroo  _ was _ planning to spend his Saturday night with Bokuto anyway - but he  _ hadn’t  _ anticipated Bokuto turning up at his doorstep drunk off his ass, missing a shoe and soaked from head to toe from walking in the rain. Kuroo had stayed frozen on the spot, holding the door open and staring at Bokuto gently swaying on the step for several minutes, before he got over the initial shock and dragged his friend in from the freezing rain.

 

“What the hell happened?” Kuroo watched as Bokuto kicked off his one shoe and stumbled upstairs in the direction of Kuroo’s room in his wet socks, leaving a small puddle with every step.  “Bo!” Kuroo ran up the stairs after him, arriving just in time to stop Bokuto from tripping over Kuroo’s discarded gym bag. Bokuto leaned his weight on him, and Kuroo huffed with the effort of moving Bokuto to the bed. “Seriously, Kou what happened to you?”

 

“Konoha’s party.” Bokuto replied, voice muffled from where he lay face-down on the covers. Kuroo raised an eyebrow. Usually, Akaashi - Bokuto’s setter and best friend from Fukurodani - didn’t let Bokuto get this drunk and prevented a situation like this from happening. “Akaashi’s at his grandmother’s in Yokohama.” Bokuto answered the question before Kuroo got around to asking it.

 

Kuroo grunted in response and walked over to his wardrobe, digging through the clothes piled haphazardly inside, trying to find something that would fit Bokuto. Bokuto was shorter than Kuroo, but more strongly built, and even though Kuroo’s clothes might be too long on him, they’d most likely be too tight. Kuroo found a suitable pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt at the bottom of the pile, and, along with a towel, chucked them at Bokuto, who’d since sat up on the bed, hair dripping onto Kuroo’s covers.

 

“Do I need to help you change?” Kuroo asked, sighing as he watched Bokuto fumble with the clothes.

 

“Nah, I’m good.” Bokuto mumbled, slipping off the side of the bed and shuffling in the direction of the bathroom. Kuroo watched him go, wincing in sympathy when he heard Bokuto stub his toe off the side of the bathroom cabinet. Bokuto was going to come over anyway, so Kuroo had snacks and drinks laid out by the bed, his laptop lay fully charged on his bedside table, and he already had a list of shitty horror movies on stand-by. Bokuto’s drunken state only added an extra humour to the situation - Bokuto was even more amusing drunk than he was when sober. Kuroo and Bokuto were quite the formidable duo - always pranking or fooling about. Akaashi and Kenma were too done with their pranks and tricks to get angry at this point.

 

After knocking off several shampoo bottles off the edge of the bathtub and stubbing his toe  _ yet again _ , Bokuto emerged from the bathroom, wearing the clothes Kuroo supplied and drying his hair with a towel. He seemed considerably less drunk than he had when he’d showed up swaying on Kuroo’s doorstep. Kuroo noted how tight his t-shirt is around Bokuto’s shoulders, how his sweatpants hang low on his hips, and how Bokuto steps on the ends of his pants with every step, before hurriedly looking away.Now is not the time for stupid fantasies and feelings to come knocking - not when he’s about to have a chill evening with his slightly intoxicated best friend, Bokuto made himself comfortable on the bed beside Kuroo, stealing a handful of Kuroo’s chips as he went. Kuroo shot him a disapproving look and wordlessly chucked Bokuto’s own packet at him. “Eat your own chips.” he seemed to say. Bokuto fumbled with the packet for a moment, before successfully opening it - he announced this with a satisfied hoot - and digging into his salt and vinegar chips.

 

“The Gingerbread Man or Jason X?” Kuroo pulled up both movies on the screen of his laptop and looked at Bokuto expectantly. Bokuto blinked at the screen several times, as if evaluating the covers of both movies.

 

“What’s  _ Gingerbread Man _ about?” he eventually asks through a mouthful of chips, crumbs falling to his chest. He frowns at them, before brushing them off.

 

“ _ Serial killer Millard Findlemeyer is executed for his crimes. His ashes are given to his mother, and she mixes them into gingerbread spice mix, and then gives it to a local bakery. By the way, Millard's mother is a witch. The bakery uses the concoction (and adds some accidental employee blood, because it is a terrible, disgusting bakery) to make a large gingerbread man that comes to life and begins killing people. _ ” Kuroo reads, a grin forming on his face at the ridiculous summary. Bokuto hoots with laughter beside him, and nods enthusiastically, approving of Kuroo’s movie choice. It’s become almost a tradition for them to watch the worst movies they can find at sleepovers. “Isn’t that Mongo’s backstory from Shrek 2?” Kuroo asks after a moment.

 

“Who the hell is Mongo?” Bokuto looks at him, confusion written all over his face.

 

“You know, the giant gingerbread man from Shrek 2. The one that saves the day and all..” Kuroo replied, as if _everyone_ paid attention to the name of a minor character in a children's movie, and Bokuto should  _definitely_ know.

 

“Bro.” Bokuto hoots with laughter. “Why do you know that?” Kuroo just laughs and shrugs, because why  _ does _ he know that? He blames his niece and her love for the Shrek movies, and focuses on getting  _ Gingerbread Ma _ n playing.

 

They are not even half an hour into the movie before they both lose interest. They half watch the movie - too stubborn to admit defeat and turn it off - and half simply enjoy the others’ presence. Bokuto’s moves from his sitting position to lean on Kuroo’s shoulder, burrowing his head into the crook of Kuroo’s neck and sleepily looking at the screen. On autopilot, Kuroo rests his cheek against Bokuto’s still damp hair. They sit in silence for another few minutes, before Bokuto starts to ramble.

 

“You know what, Tetsu?” Bokuto drawls, breath tickling Kuroo’s neck. Kuroo hums in response, and Bokuto continues. “You’re great. You’re such a great guy.” Kuroo chuckles but lets Bokuto continue, there’s no stopping him now - Kuroo knows from experience. An affectionate Bokuto is not easy to shut up, especially when he’s halfway through telling you how much he apprecieates you. Bokuto lifts his arm and drapes his around Kuroo’s torso, squeezing him. “You’re such a good friend and you’re always here for me and you never complain when I get dejected..” Bokuto trails off, and his brow furrows. “You’re such a great guy, you deserve  _ all _ of it - you deserve the whole world, bro -  _ no _ , dude, you’re  _ too good _ for this world! You’re too fucking good for this shitty world! You’re too good!” Kuroo grins, glad that in his distracted state Bokuto won’t notice the redness creeping onto his cheeks.

 

“You’re not bad yourself, Kou.” Kuroo says softly, but Bokuto shushes him.

 

“No! Let me finish! Bro, you’re the  _ best _ . I love you so much!” Kuroo involountarily freezes and feels his heartbeat speed up, no matter how much he tries to tell himself that no, Bokuto’s just drunk and rambling, he doesn’t mean it romantically. He’s just in affectionate mood... The worst part is, he knows Bokuto can clearly hear his erratic heartbeat from where he’s hugging him. “Like… like…” Bokuto struggles with his words and sits up suddenly, almost knocking the popcorn bowl off from where it’s precariously perched on Kuroo’s stomach. “I love you!” he exclaims.

 

“I love you too, bro.” Kuroo grins, desperately trying to convince his frantically beating heart that  _ it’s not like that _ . It hurts; Bokuto looks so genuine, face flushed from the warmth of the room and from the alcohol he’s had, big golden eyes staring right into Kuroo’s soul, his hair soft and falling into his eyes. He looks so sincere, and it’s doing cruel things to Kuroo’s poor, weak heart.

 

“No no no, Tetsu you don’t understand!” Bokuto sits up on his knees and grabs Kuroo by the shoulders. The half-full popcorn bowl sways dangerously. “ _ I love you more than Akaashi _ !” Bokuto blurts, and Kuroo blinks. Akaashi is Bokuto’s favourite person; the two owls are always together, Bokuto  _ needs _ Akaashi like he needs air, and loves him like he loves volleyball. “I don’t love you as a friend-” Bokuto stops, and furrows his brow making an incredibly endearing expression. “-well that  _ too _ but I also love you in like… a  _ boyfriend _ way! In an ‘I want to hold your hand and go on walks and I wanna kiss you and do cute romantic shit’ way!”

 

Time seems to stop. Bokuto’s looking at Kuroo with that same innocent, blatantly honest expression from before. Kuroo’s face is still adorned with his trademark confident smirk, but by now, Kuroo’s mind is a whirlwind. He’s desperately trying to convince himself that hell, Koutarou is drunk, he’s always affectionate when he’s drunk. There’s no way Bokuto would like someone like  _ him _ , Kuroo isn’t pretty, graceful Akaashi, or pretty, sweet Yukie. There’s no way, there’s just no way--

 

Kuroo’s mind suddenly stops, and he becomes aware of a pair of soft, warm lips on his own. His entire world starts to spin because Bokuto’s kissing him, and he tastes of alcohol and salt and vinegar chips and  _ oh god _ they should really stop because he’s drunk and not thinking straight. And what if he regrets this after? Kuroo doesn’t want to lose him. Bokuto gently cups Kuroo’s face, his hands calloused and rough from constant volleyball practice. He kisses Kuroo completely differently to what’s expected from his personality. Where Bokuto is loud and enthusiastic, full of energy, his kisses are soft, gentle, slow. Even though Kuroo tries to resist, he can’t, because he’s wanted this for so long, and now that Bokuto is kissing him, gently coaxing him, Kuroo can’t help it. He opens up, and the bowl of popcorn falls to the floor with a soft thud. The thought that he should probably clean it up is pushed to the back of Kuroo’s mind because all he can think of is Bokuto. He kisses him back, and wraps his arms around his best friend of so many years, letting himself have what he’s dreamt of - thought of - so many times. He feels Bokuto smile into the kiss, and the hands cupping Kuroo’s face retreat, in favor of two strong arms circling Kuroo’s waist. Soon, Kuroo finds himself in Bokuto’s lap, with Bokuto himself looking up at him with the brightest grin Kuroo has ever seen.  _ He’s perfect, _ Kuroo thinks, and kisses him again. Bokuto is more than happy to oblige.

 

Later, when Kuroo’s cuddled up against Bokuto under his duvet,  _ Gingerbread Man _ long forgotten, he decides that if things come to worst and all this is just Bokuto’s drunken mind making him do things he’ll regret, then at least he’ll have this one night. He chuckles quietly to himself - Kenma will probably call him a sappy old cat when Kuroo tells him, but right now, Kuroo can enjoy Bokuto’s warmth and the softest kisses he’s ever known. They drift off to sleep cuddled close to one another, Bokuto’s soft snores lulling Kuroo to sleep.

\---

The sun is high in the sky by the time Kuroo wakes, and he’s immediately greeted with a strong sense of  _ missing _ . He throws off the covers, looking around for Bokuto, but there’s not a trace of the Fukurodani captain. Kuroo steps over the upturned popcorn bowl, careful not to step on anything, and goes to look for Bokuto. He’s not in the bathroom - the door is wide open and Kuroo can see the sopping wet clothes last nights’ drunk Bokuto left on the tiles. He can hear the faint hum of activity from downstairs, and silently prays it’s not his parents coming home early. The stairs are a tough obstacle for his sleep-lagged legs, but he manages them, and walks into the kitchen just in time to see Bokuto expertly flip a pancake - a move he knows Koutarou had reharsed over and over, Kuroo had seen the pictures of batter spilled all over the Bokuto’s kitchen more than enough times. Bokuto notices Kuroo step into the kitchen and beams. Kuroo involuntarily smirks as he watches Bokuto move the pancake to the plate. Bokuto’s only wearing his -  _ Kuroo’s _ actually - boxers, and the memoirs of last night are clearly visible in the sunlight. Bokuto moves the stack of pancakes to the table - already set for a breakfast for two, Kuroo notices - and turns to Kuroo. Koutarou is practically glowing, and the lovebites down his neck and shoulder are clearly visible, and Kuroo shivers, remembering the sensations of the previous night. And then, the anxiety he’d pushed to the back of his mind resurfaces.

 

“Hey, Bo.” Kuroo walks further into the kitchen, unsure himself how he wants to play things out. “Didn’t think you could cook..” That’s a lie. Kuroo knows Bokuto can make pancakes, ramen and a decent dinner, but not much besides that. Kuroo knows a lot about Bokuto - too much to just let go should all this go south. “..do you... Remember last night?” Kuroo tries again and winces. Perhaps ‘ _ didn’t know you could cook _ ’ was a better idea than facing his problems head-on so early in the morning.

 

Bokuto’s brow furrows, and he looks at Kuroo, confused. Kuroo’s heart skips a beat;  _ does he really not remember _ ? “Did you think I was that drunk?” Bokuto asks, and Kuroo breathes a sigh of relief. He does remember.

 

“No, I just-” Kuroo trails off. His usual clever tongue is failing him now, when he needs him most; he can’t make Bokuto think he went along  _ because _ Bokuto was drunk, that he took advantage of Bokuto’s drunken state. Kuroo is not that kind of guy, Bokuto knows that, but everything so far - right up to the awkwardly asked question - is proving otherwise.

 

“You wanna know if I regret it?” Bokuto breaks the silence, a grin teasing at the corner of his lips and Kuroo nods, slowly, mentally preparing himself for a negative response. Bokuto laughs, and moves forward, pulling Kuroo into a soul-crushing hug. Kuroo can feel Bokuto shake with laughter against him, and eventually starts laughing too. He’s been stupid - so, so stupid.

 

“Damn Tetsu, you really aren’t too bright in the mornings!” Bokuto manages between laughs. Kuroo pulls back to get a good look at Bokuto’s face. His best friend - and now something more - grins at him. “I meant everything I said last night. Sure, I could’ve chosen a better time but I really  _ needed _ to tell you.”

 

Kuroo feels himself smile, because it’s all to perfect. “I love you, Koutarou.” he says. Bokuto opens his mouth to return the  _ I love you _ , but his words get lost when Kuroo kisses him, like he’d wanted to for so long. And now, there’s no degree of worry or anxiety about it, because they both know they love one another, and that everything went right.

 

“Come on, let’s eat.” Kuroo pulls away eventually, because his growling stomach reminds him that no, he can’t stand there in the warm sunlight kissing Bokuto all day, and that there is a steaming pile of pancakes lovingly prepared by his boyfriend -  _ boyfriend _ , it feels so good to think that about Bokuto - waiting for them on the kitchen table. And after that, more kisses and cuddles and perhaps a video game marathon or a movie.

 

When Bokuto regretfully has to go home, their goodbyes last over an hour. It reminds Kuroo of the first time Bokuto slept over, when they’d just become friends. Bokuto had cried while his mother thanked Kuroo’s mother, and Kuroo had given Bokuto his favourite action toy, promising to come and play soon in between tears. They’d been so young, starting a new chapter in their lives as friends. Now, there were no tears, and a loving kiss was exchanged instead of an action toy, but the circumstances were similar. They were starting a new chapter in their lives, as more than just friends; as lovers.

 

Kuroo stretched out on his couch; he still had a few hours until his parents got home from a trip to Kyoto. He reached for his phone - Kenma deserves to be the first person he tells. He typed out a message, which when he re-read it later, was much sappier and love-struck than he’d intended it to be, and waited for Kenma to reply. Kenma’s reply time varied; if he was playing a good video game or his phone wasn’t charged, Kuroo might have to wait until the evening, but if he was in luck and Kenma was watching some TV, the reply should come soon.

 

**You:** ...and then he made us breakfast and  _ oh my gooooooooood Kenma he's perfect _

**Pudding-head:** you’re sappy old cat Kuro

**Pudding-head:** i’m glad it worked out for you though c:

**You:** KENMAAAAA

 

Kenma was right. Everything had worked out for them - for Kuroo, and for Bokuto, who’d confessed his love on a whim, because he’d felt braver than normal. It was like something straight out of Kenma’s visual novels. Kuroo types out a more coherent reply - even though he's a lovestruck idiot - and opens the text that had come in the meantime.

 

**Brokuto:** I’M HOME!

 

Bokuto - like Kuroo had asked - texted him as soon as he’d gotten home. Another detail that would further confirm that Kenma was right - Kuroo  _ is _ a sappy old cat. His eyes fall to the contact name, and he pauses for a second, before typing in a new contact name for Bokuto. He hits 'save' with a satisfied smile. Two more texts from Bokuto pop up on his screen.

 

**Kou♡:** I met the fattest cat ever on the way tho

**Kou♡:** [picture message]

 

Kenma was right. Kuroo was an old sappy cat, but he was an old sappy cat with the best boyfriend in the world. Some things weren’t going to change; Kuroo and Bokuto will still have their extremely weird conversations at four in the morning, Bokuto will still send Kuroo pictures of black cats or trash cans captioned “you”, and Kuroo will most  _ definitely _ send Bokuto pictures of various owls. But there will be new things, like kisses, more hugs, more cuddles, more heartfelt “I love you”s. Many, many good things.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this very fast in the middle of the night - or at least that's what the document says. I'm not used to writing Kuroo (even though he's the fav) so apologies for that. It's also been like 4 or 5 months since I've written something proper so apologies, again, for that.
> 
> And yes, I know some smut would've been nice in there.. sorry.. ;;
> 
> OK so when I say 'chips' I mean like... 'crisps'... not 'fries'... just a little cultural hiccup...
> 
> Gingerbread Man IS an ACTUAL movie and that's the ACTUAL summary; I laughed for ages when I first read it.  
> I didn't actually know the name of the Gingerbread guy from Shrek. That was a tip by my dear friend who watched me write this. Thanks Lena. Much love. I don't know how she knows either; I'm scared to ask.
> 
> I'm currently working on 2 longer fics, one of which I might drop because it's been forever (IwaOi reunion AU) and the other in a really extensive world that blows my mind a little (BokuAka ffxv/captive prince AU). So, til then...
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! I know it's not the best so if y'all have any criticism don't hesitate to send it my way!  
> And, as Kenma said... Kuroo is an old, sappy cat. (that I love)


End file.
